Strangers In The Night
by RikuxHeart
Summary: Fate is often labeled as a harsh mistress with a cruel sense of humor, but on one particular night, after praying long and hard, fortune smiles upon Sora, or so he believes. Meeting Riku in the dead of night sure felt like a miracle.(cont'd) [RixSo]
1. Windows to the Soul

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters. This is purely a work of fiction. It's been several years since I've attempted to sit down and write a fanfic, preferring more interactive writing such as roleplaying these days, but the idea has been stuck in my head for weeks and I just ran with it. The first few chapters are a bit obscure, and I assure you, it's entirely intentional. If you happen to figure out what's going on, please keep it to yourself or send me a private massage about it, don't ruin the surprise for the other readers who haven't. There are at least TWO major plot twists awaiting you in this fic, so I won't be providing any warnings or tags for this story outside the usual M/M romance. As always, if you enjoyed, please leave a review and let me know. Constructive criticism is always welcome, and I'll do my best to have the next chapter up and ready for reading by late next week.

Summary: Fate is often labeled as a harsh mistress with a cruel sense of humor, but on one particular night, after praying long and hard, fortune smiles upon Sora, or so he believes. Meeting Riku in the dead of night sure _felt_ like a miracle. Riku was alone, and he _liked_ it that way. He has no idea what to make of this quirky little angel that was metaphorically dropped into his lap, or the strange, new feelings he evokes in him. Even so, the obvious complications with their relationship aside, Riku is reluctant to let him go. At least... until he too is reminded of Fate's unforgiving hand.

Pairing:RixSo

Rating: M(For later chapters)

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Windows to the Soul**

It was an exceptionally cold winter night, deep in the heart of Destiny City. The hustle and bustle of holiday shoppers had died down hours ago, all gone home to wrap gifts, celebrate, and tuck themselves into their nice warm beds, eagerly anticipating the arrival of Christmas morning- only a short week away. The shops were all closed now, their windows dark, and the carolers had long since retreated from the bitter night air, satisfied that their merry voices had brought some joy to the world tonight. Even the park, with its naked treetops webbed with thousands of twinkling white lights and a fresh layer of beautiful snow blanketing the ground, was deserted at this lonely hour.

There were no horse drawn carriages clattering along the cobble stone path, no wayward couples huddled close together for warmth as they walked, basking in the overwhelming love and happiness this season seemed to evoke in everyone. All was calm, and all was quiet.

But there was _someone_ who dared to brave the cold tonight, or perhaps foolish enough to try. Sitting alone on a secluded bench with his head tipped back and his eyes closed, Riku listened to the silence of the world around him, broken only by the sound of his slow, even breaths and the rhythmic beat of his heart. He couldn't quite discern how long he'd been sitting there, contemplating his existence, and life in general, but it was long enough that the bite of each errant snowflake that fell from the sky to land upon his pale cheeks was no longer felt.

He'd come here for some peace, to escape the streets crowded with busy shoppers and laughing children. To forget this wretched holiday as a whole. See, Riku didn't celebrate Christmas, or Hanukkah, or any of those other ridiculous days people merely used as an excuse to splurge their money and gorge themselves with festive foods. As a matter of fact, he openly hated this time of year. The only reason he was even out and about in this ungodly weather was because of all the ruckus going on around him, right outside the only sanctuary he knew.

He much rather would have preferred to remain asleep.

Unmoving and lost deep in his own thoughts, the young man, appearing no older than 21 despite the unusual silver coloration of his long hair, had no intention of moving from his spot until the skies began to brighten with the promise of morning. Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't even move then. Perfectly content with that idea, it came as a shock when something warm, soft, and fuzzy brushed against his cheek. Startled, Riku's eyes snapped open and he lifted his head to identify what had touched him. He blinked in confusion at the green and yellow striped scarf-wool by the look and texture of it- a few scant inches from his face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you, but I wasn't sure if you were just sleeping, or if the cold had gotten to you," came a soft voice from behind the scarf.

Puzzled, the silver haired man leaned over to catch a glimpse of the voice's owner and was surprised to see a boy. Barely 5 feet tall with the most unruly brown hair sticking up in every drection, he stood there with a friendly smile and warm, expectant blue eyes. Even in the dark, Riku could tell they were the color of the ocean, and just as deep. "I'm... I'm sorry?" Riku replied, for lack of anything better to say, his voice raspy from disuse.

"Here." The scarf was offered to him again, the pleasant aroma of sandalwood and hints of cinnamon tantalizing Riku's nose.

"Ah... No thank you. I'm fine, really."

"Come on now," the brunet insisted, grabbing the ends of the scarf and looping it around the silverette's neck before he could protest any further. "You don't have to be stubborn, it's 14 degrees out and you've been out here a long time. You'll catch your death if you don't bundle up."

If Riku wasn't so confused by the kindness of this complete stranger, he would have laughed. "Are you stalking me or something?" He asked. "And what about you? Won't you be cold now?"

"N-no, of course not!" the boy replied with a laugh. "I came through here a couple hours ago and I saw you sitting there. Judging by the snow on your coat, you haven't moved an inch since then." As if he needed proof of this, Riku glanced down at his black pea coat and grunted in amusement. "And I'm actually on my way home right now, so I don't really need it."

"...I see."

"My name's Sora, by the way," the brunet continued, that smile and those eyes brightening in the hope that he would receive a name in return.

"...Riku," the silverette replied warily, seeing no harm in giving the boy that much.

"Ri-ku," Sora parroted, testing the name for himself. "That's a nice name." Then he leaned forward slightly, those cerulean eyes squinting through the dark to get a better look at him. Riku was quick to advert his own, and even though he was no longer looking at him, he could tell that a pout had formed on Sora's lips. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Riku!" And just like that, the disappointment was gone from his face and he was back to smiling like nothing was amiss.

"Likewise, Sora." With all the pleasantries out of the way, the silverette thought for sure that the boy would bid him goodnight and be on his way. The long minute of awkward silence that followed indicated otherwise. Quirking a brow, he looked up at the brunet just in time to watch his head tilt to the side.

"It's awfully late, you know. Are you waiting for someone?"

"Hm? Oh... No, I'm not waiting for anyone. I just came here to get away from the noise for a while." Why was he even still talking to this kid? If he had his wits about him, he would thank him for the scarf and shoo him along before things got... complicated.

"I don't blame you. It gets to me too sometimes, but it's gotten pretty quiet now. You might want to think about heading home before you freeze to death."

Riku tried very hard to mask his grimace at the mention of 'home', but it either wasn't enough, or Sora was very astute. "I'll... take it into consideration. Thank you."

"Unless," Sora said after a moment, as he tucked his hands into the pockets of his coat. "Unless you'd like to join me for a cup of hot chocolate."

"What?" Riku asked, confounded. "Why?"

"Wwwwhy hot cocoa, or why am I am I offering?" The brunet was not only smiling now, but grinning, and Riku could see it in his eyes that his question amused him.

"Both? I'm a complete stranger. You don't know the first thing about me, but you give me your scarf and then ask me out for hot chocolate?"

"You're not a _complete_ stranger," Sora corrected. "I know plenty about you already." At the silver haired male's skeptical look, he elaborated. "You're name is Riku, you're a nice—maybe a bit shy—guy, you're out here all by yourself and you're obviously cold."

"I never said that I was cold."

"You accepted my scarf, didn't you?"

"You didn't give me much of a choice in the matter."

"But you didn't exactly put up much of a fight, either."

"I could be a serial rapist." Riku's lips twitched in an effort to stifle his smirk. The sudden redirection causing the brunet to pause and regroup his thoughts. He didn't expect the boy to giggle, the sound so light and airy that Riku couldn't _help_ but smile this time.

"So could I."

"I could be a vampire, waiting out here for some foolish sap like you to happen along." Why the hell was he even humoring him? He came out here to be _alone._ The last thing he had wanted, or expected, was to have his night of solitary skulking interrupted by a guy he would have made pains to avoid in any other situation. Still...

Normally, he didn't have to go very far out of his way to distance himself from normal people. They gave him all the space he needed all on their own. His mysterious aura alone was enough to have them adverting their eyes and walking past him at a brisk pace. He could honestly say this was the first time anyone was bold enough to approach him of their own volition. Perhaps it was only his own curiosity that kept his interest in this boy piqued. Perhaps it was something else entirely, but he couldn't deny that he found the playful banter between the two of them... refreshing.

"Well~," Sora said, derailing his thoughts. "I suppose there are worse ways to go." Astounded by the brunet's statement, Riku simply stared. "Now come on, let's go get some hot cocoa. It'll be my treat."

Riku wasn't given a chance to protest or delay any further when the peppy little brunet took him by the wrist. The older male most definitely could have resisted, but he found himself drawn to his feet before the implications of his actions fully sank in. In that brief moment of contact, the silverette could feel the slight tremor in the boy's hand, and he chanced a quick glance up at his face. Detecting no hint of nervousness in Sora's expression, Riku realized that Sora was cold. The tip of his small nose was red and his cheeks were flushed with windburn. Before he could get a better look, the brunet had dropped his arm and stuffed his unprotected hands back into his pockets.

"You're not from around here, are you?" Sora asked as they began to walk, the question sounding more like an observation.

"Not necessarily, no. Is it that obvious?"

"I've just never seen you around before, that's all," the brunet replied with a smile.

"That's awfully presumptuous of you, unless you know everyone in the city."

"Not _everyone_ , but most everyone on this side. I've got a knack for remembering faces, and I'm pretty sure, even as dark as it is outside, I would have recognized you from a mile away if I'd seen you before."

"And now you're flirting with me?" Riku was only teasing, but when he glanced over, he was certain that Sora's cheeks had reddened further, and he wasn't entirely convinced it was from the cold. He chuckled.

"Yes, because I make a habit of picking up oddballs like you at the park in the middle of the night," Sora joked with a laugh. Up ahead, he could see the bright glow of street lamps, indicating that they were about to exit the park, and hurried his pace. Riku's longer legs easily matched him stride for stride.

"Maybe you _are_ a serial rapist," the silverette quipped, earning him a snort of amusement from the shorter male.

"Or maybe you're just paranoid and I'm just a nice guy out for a stroll and saw an opportunity to make a new friend." Looking both ways, even though the streets were hardly crowded with motorists at this hour, Sora crossed the street with the bewildered silverette in tow.

"You want to be friends with an utter stranger, why?" Riku inquired once they reached the sidewalk on the other side.

"I thought we covered this already. We're not strangers anymore. Besides, even the best of friendships start out just like we did, with a hopeful heart and a leap of faith." Sora did have a point there, so Riku didn't argue further, just smiled, rolled his eyes, and shook his head. The boy was nothing if not smart, witty, and charming. Those qualities weren't all that different from what he saw in those he labeled his 'friends', but there was something else... There was something that set this boy worlds apart from them, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it just yet.

"So where are you taking me, exactly?" Riku asked as they rounded a corner. "In case you haven't noticed, everything is closed."

"You really aren't from around here. Look, there." Sora's hand emerged from his pocket to point down the street and Riku's eyes followed, landing on a large bay window of a small, antique looking building. Inside looked warm and inviting, the lights dim, but welcoming enough to draw in the occasional straggler. A pair of young women up ahead opened the door to enter, further proving the place was still open for business. "Merlin's is easily one of the most popular cafe's in the city, and open until 3 a.m.. Their hot chocolate is so good it's almost magical."

By the time Sora had finished providing this information, they were standing out front. The brunet hurried to open and hold the door for Riku, ushering him in before they let in too much of the cold. A wave of warmth washed over the silverette as soon as he stepped in, the sudden change in temperature making him shiver. The ambient atmosphere of soft light absorbed by rich red walls and mahogany tables, and the aromatic scent of fresh brewed coffee was pleasant to Riku's senses to say the least. He made a mental note to come here again, regardless if their beverages were as good as Sora claimed.

"Why don't you go find us a seat and I'll get our drinks," Sora suggested as he brushed past him in the direction of the counter, already shouldering out of his coat. Riku had been so engrossed in taking in the tranquility of his surroundings that he'd almost forgotten that he wasn't alone. Silently, the older male acquiesced and went in search of a table. At this hour, he had plenty to choose from, deciding on one in the opposite corner of the table the two girls that had entered before them were seated at. Only one other customer was present, an older gentleman with square shoulders and graying hair sitting a few tables away, but he was too preoccupied with his evening reading material to even glance up as Riku passed.

"Here you go."

"Hm?" Riku was drawn away from his scrutiny of the large, odd painting of a knight battling a dragon on the wall beside him a few minutes later and took the proffered cup of what was no doubt piping hot chocolate. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Sora beamed as he sank down into the chair across from him and immediately attempted to take a sip from his own cup.

"They don't call it hot chocolate for nothing, you know," the silverette admonished with a chuckle when the boy hissed in obvious pain, his taste buds scorched by the scalding liquid.

Over the next hour, the two of them sipped their drinks, Riku much more slowly, and talked. Well, Sora did most of it, Riku simply listening unless he was asked a question. In such a short time, he learned quite a bit about Sora, and yet... nothing at all. He talked about the holidays and his plans, how this winter was one of the worst they'd had in a long time, and about completely random topics the silverette had no idea how they stumbled upon, but he didn't really learn anything about _him._ Questions like how old he was, where he lived, or what his favorite color was burned in the back of Riku's mind, but the brunet avoided revealing anything too personal about himself. Instead, he grilled his acquaintance, asking him little things, like how long he'd been in town, if he was staying or just visiting, and how he was liking it so far.

Riku was happy to accommodate him with short, simple answers. He admitted that he had been there for a total of three days, wasn't sure if he was staying or going yet, and he reserved the right to withhold his judgment until after the holidays when things quieted down. All in all, the two of them were hitting it off rather well—to his astonishment- and they hadn't yet run out of things to talk about. The silverette would even go so far as to say he was openly enjoying Sora's company tonight. If only it wasn't for one _little_ detail that had him on the brink of squirming in his seat with discomfort.

Sora was desperately trying to make eye contact with him. Something Riku had valiantly avoided since they'd met.

Riku tried to keep his gaze lowered to the cup he held in his hands; but it was becoming increasingly difficult not to look up when Sora was speaking to him. There was just something about his voice that called for his full, undivided attention, and resisting almost felt like trying to fight back the ocean's tide. Every time he slipped, those sapphire hues would be waiting to zero in and he'd have to quickly advert his gaze back to his cup. The whole process would then start over again, like some kind of game. He only hoped the brunet was getting a kick out of it, because he sure wasn't.

Suddenly, Sora went quiet across from him, but Riku didn't dare investigate. Two could play at this, and he was too stubborn to lose this time. Because of this, Riku nearly jumped out of his chair when a small hand reached over the table and flicked him on the forehead. It was a rather bold move for someone he'd only met an hour ago, but it had the desired effect. The older male's head shot up in surprise, eyes wide, and he instantly regretted it when Sora sucked in an audible breath and abruptly retracted his hand as if he'd been bitten.

And this impromptu evening had been going so well, too...

"I-I'm... sorry," the brunet stuttered after a long moment of silence. Riku had long since turned his head, sparing the boy from having to look any longer.

"You don't have to apologize," he muttered under his breath, deciding that the sleeve of his coat was much more fascinating than the shocked expression on the boy's face. Then again, who was he kidding? This was better, wasn't it? Sora's curiosity was appeased, and after a short, awkward farewell, they would go their separate ways before assumptions were made and Riku's hopes rose any higher that he could even _pretend_ to be normal for a change.

"...Here I was thinking I was boring you, until I realized you had yet to look me in the eye since we met, and you were doing it deliberately," Sora's soft voice rang out eventually. "I really am sorry. I didn't mean to react like that, it just took me by surprise, is all." The brunet was articulating his words carefully, speaking to the man across from him as if he were a frightened animal and one wrong move would send him running for the door.

"I'm used to it," Riku replied. "They make a lot of people uncomfortable."

"Hey now, I wouldn't go so far as to say they make me _uncomfortable_ , especially when I only got a peek. I just wasn't expecting something so... different." There was another pause, this one longer than all the others- in which Riku used to read the contact information on the side of his cup fifteen times. "...Well?"

"Well what?" Again, Riku was tempted to look up.

"Well, are you going to let me have another look?"

Riku blinked, unsure of how to respond, or what to do. Was there something seriously wrong with this kid, or what? He'd only just finished telling him that his eyes made people uncomfortable, and he wanted to look again? He was trying to _salvage_ what he could of this lovely night, not wreck it further.

"And if I said no?" From across the table, the silverette heard the brunet heave an exasperated sigh and fought the urge to chuckle.

"Are you always this stubborn, or am I just lucky?"

Without looking, it was difficult to discern if Sora was amused or annoyed. Either way, Riku knew he'd been beat by the clever brunet. With a sigh of his own, his shoulders drooped in humble defeat and he slowly lifted his head. Struggling against the habit a lifetime in the making, the silverette forced his eyes to meet the others. In doing so, he was able to detect every nuance of the boy's reaction, from the slight parting of soft looking, slightly chapped lips, to the widening of those deep cerulean orbs. Up until now, Riku had no idea just how blue they actually were, and so expressive, too.

"I don't think I've _ever_ seen such a unique set of eyes in my life," Sora murmured, transfixed by the spectacle in front of him. "They're so... _green._ " And not just green, like deep forest green, or a soft olive green that was most common, but _light_ green. They were so light that they reminded Sora of the winter's first frost blanketing a grassy meadow, or seafoam, and even in the poor lighting the cafe provided, they were unnaturally bright.

Riku stared back in awe, barely blinking. Sora didn't appear to be frightened, repulsed, or even slightly unsettled by this new revelation about him. If that wasn't odd enough, the longer neither one of them made an attempt to look away, the more Riku found himself not wanting to. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he could hear Sora speaking to him, and that was when it clicked. That _something_ that Sora had that set him apart from everyone else, even his closest, most trusted friends, was so clear now that he wasn't sure how he'd ever missed it. They all lacked one thing that this boy had an overabundance of...

Innocence.

Across the table from him sat what had to be the purest soul Riku had ever encountered in the entirety of his long, miserable life.


	2. What Friends Are For

A/N: Alright, so the second chapter couldn't wait. I've lost five hours of precious sleep to deliver this chapter a WEEK ahead of schedule. I hope you enjoy. Of course, if you do, please leave me a review and tell me what you think. Again, if you think the puzzle pieces are starting to come together, feel free to pm me with your guess. PLEASE don't guess or make assumptions in your reviews and spoil it for everyone. It's supposed to be a surprise, but I'll tack on an extra chapter for the first person who figures it out before the big revelation.

Standard Disclaimer:Don't own KH or it's characters, yaddayadda, you know the drill.

* * *

 **Chapter 2: What Friends Are For**

"We should probably get going. The girl behind the counter's been shooting us dirty looks for the past twenty minutes." Riku was pretty sure she was visually threatening them with castration if they didn't pack up and leave soon so she could go home and sleep. Judging from the dark circles under her eyes that he could easily make out from across the room and the slouching of her shoulders, she needed it.

"Oh, wow!" Sora exclaimed softly, glancing down at his watch. "When did it get _that_ late?" He'd been so caught up in their conversation, and let's be honest, using every trick in the book to keep Riku's eyes on him, that another hour had passed in a blur. His drink was polished off a while ago, but the silverette was still nursing his as they stood from the table and pushed their chairs in.

Riku hadn't fared any better at keeping track of the time it would seem, but he hardly felt guilty about it. In fact, he was disappointed that it was all coming to an end so soon. He waited patiently for the boy to slip back into his coat and zip up before they made their way to the exit.

Back out in the cold, the two of them stood on the sidewalk, Sora awkwardly shuffling his feet as the door to the cafe locked behind them with a resounding 'click'. Both of them were stalling for a little more time, neither of them realizing it was for the exact same reason.

"So..." It was Sora who finally broke the ice, and he glanced up at Riku with an uncertain smile when he heard the taller male clear his throat. "I guess... this is goodnight."

The melancholy in the brunet's voice clawed viciously at Riku's cold, black heart. "...Yeah, I guess it is. Thank you again for the hot chocolate. It was... magical," he quoted Sora's earlier sentiment, and they both chuckled.

"Don't mention it! It was my pleasure," Sora replied, just before he lowered his eyes back to the wet pavement between them. Already shivering from the harsh, biting wind that had picked up while they were inside, the brunet shifted from one foot to the other, indecision warring within him. "Look," he said after a period of nervous fidgeting. "I'm going to risk coming off as a total creeper by asking you this, but I don't care. I really enjoyed your company tonight, and I would love the chance to get to know you better. Is... there even a snowball's chance in hell that... we could do this again?"

Despite the shock that Sora wanted to see him again, Riku snorted in amusement. Whether it was because he found the wince Sora gave when he looked up at him incredibly cute, how funny it sounded to hear Sora use even the most paltry of indecent words, or because—depending on whose hell it was- snowballs had a pretty high survival rate, he didn't have have time to decide before Sora took it as a solid 'no'.

"Never hurts to ask," the brunet sighed wistfully and allowed his gaze to wander down the street.

"I would like that, actually."

At this, Sora's head snapped back to the silverette and a face splitting smile lit up his features. "R-really?!" Excitement bubbled up inside of him so quick and sure that he could barely contain it.

"Sure," said Riku with a shrug and a lazy smile. "I had a nice time tonight." He still couldn't believe the boy wanted to see him again. He was almost certain after their little ordeal inside that the brunet was only being polite until he could make a clean getaway, but it was all becoming clear now. Sora was genuinely sincere when he said he wanted to know him. He could tell. He could see it in his eyes. "Would you like to exchange numbers?"

"Oh..." Sora flushed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "I don't exactly have a phone."

A fine silver brow lofted at this. What century was this again? Who didn't have a phone these days? Taking it in stride, Riku chuckled and shook his head. "Do you expect me to write to you or something? How are we supposed to get in touch if you don't have a phone?"

Strike one.

"Well... How would you feel about meeting up here tomorrow around three for some lunch? That's usually when I take my break at work," Sora suggested, his voice so very hopeful.

Strike two.

"I'm... kind of indisposed before eight p.m.," Riku said with a grimace. "Sorry."

"Ah... A night owl, huh?" Sora wasn't deterred just yet, determined to make this happen. "Then how about we meet here tomorrow night—or should I say tonight since it's two in the morning- whenever you're free?"

"Sure," Riku agreed with a nod. "I'll try not to keep you up too long past your bedtime, at least." It was so hard not to laugh at the pout that adorned the boy's face, but somehow, he managed. "How's ten sound?"

"That sounds great!" the brunet chirped with a huge grin, rocking back and forth on his feet.

"Alright, it's a date then," Riku replied as suavely as he could, enjoying the flustered, but happy response he received. "Would you like me to walk you home?"

"Nah, that's okay. I don't live far. You should head home and get out of this cold yourself. I'll be fine," Sora promised, warmed by the gesture all the same.

"Alright, if you're sure. I'll... see you tonight, then." The smile Sora shot his way at that made his knees weak. "Goodnight, Sora."

"Goodnight, Riku..." Knowing that if he didn't turn around and start walking in the other direction right now, he wouldn't until Riku was long gone, the brunet spun on his heel and all but skipped across the street and around the corner. Another handful of steps and he was slipping inside his apartment building with a bounce still in his step, feeling like a giddy, love-struck preschooler as he bounded up the stairs two at a time.

Once inside his small, but cozy flat, the brunet proceeded to strip out of his clothes and make a mad dash to the bathroom, eager to chase away the cold with a nice, steamy shower. Twenty minutes later, after he'd used up every last drop of hot water, Sora emerged clean, warm, and humming the tune of Jingle Bells. Swathed in a beat up, off white terrycloth robe, he sidled into the kitchen for a late night snack before he went to bed, making a silent note to call his best friend in the morning to tell her all about his amazing night. Sitting down with a carton of his favorite ice cream, he recounted the night's events with a dreamy smile. He wasn't expecting anything beyond friendship with Riku, but that was alright. A guy could fantasize, couldn't he?

The next time he glanced at the clock, it was 3:30 in the morning and Sora decided he needed to get his butt to bed if he had any hope of getting enough sleep for work in the morning.

* * *

Meanwhile...

Almost halfway across the city, Riku wished he had the strength left to even _crawl_ to his bed.

As it was, the silverette made it back to his residence twenty minutes ago, stomach in agonizing knots, and barely made it to the bathroom in time to throw himself to the tiled floor in front of the toilet before everything came up.

It was painful, the vomit bitter and acrid, burning the back of his throat and making his eyes well up with moisture and his face to flush a darker and darker red with every violent heave, but he couldn't wipe the stupid grin off his face if he tried.

"Christ, Riku," came a familiar, drowsy voice from the bathroom doorway, one the silverette didn't bother to acknowledge. He was concentrating too hard on taking in slow, short gasps of breath to keep himself from gagging. It didn't work. Choking, he lunged forward over the porcelain bowl to empty the remaining contents of his stomach. Much to his company's dismay. "Are you alright, man? You woke me up from a dead sleep in here."

"Do I look okay to you, Axel?" Riku managed out eventually, folding back onto his calves. "Ugh... I feel like death shoved its tongue down my throat."

At the rather unpleasant mental image of Riku playing tonsil hockey with the Grim Reaper, the tall, lanky male with wild red spikes and intense green eyes scratched his bare chest and padded over, leaning over his friend to peer into the toilet. Seemingly unphased, Axel gave a low whistle and straightened.

"I think the milk's bad, silverbug," the redhead teased with a smirk, turning away from the 80/20 concoction of blood and something else clouding the toilet's water.

Riku groaned, really not appreciating the double entendre. "Fuck you, Axe."

"No, seriously, what the hell did you ingest? I haven't seen you unload like that since I dared you to eat that jalapeno three years ago."

"Fuck you for that, too. And it was a ghost pepper, you insensitive prick." Wiping his eyes, the silverette allowed his head to drop, the worst seemingly over for now.

Axel merely shrugged and grabbed a wet cloth to help clean the silverette up as said male struggled to his feet and flushed away the evidence. "You still didn't answer my question," he said as he wiped the sweat from Riku's brow and the sheen of red from his lips.

"Hot chocolate," he muttered under his breath, swaying on his feet.

"Why in the- No, you know what? I really don't want to know this time." Sighing, the redhead quickly tossed the rag into the sink and looped an arm around Riku's waist to steady him, giving him a minute to orientate himself before carting him out of the bathroom and into his room to ease him down onto the bed.

"Thanks, Axe." Riku suddenly felt exhausted, and with a yawn, laid down and closed his eyes. Axel disappeared for a minute, but returned with a bottle of water, refusing to let the sliverette sleep until he drank at least some of it.

"Don't puke in my damn bed, Ri," the redhead warned before he flopped down next to him in the dark and promptly fell back asleep.

Riku lay awake with his eyes closed for a little bit longer, thinking of the boy with the thousand megawatt smile and disarming personality he'd met at the park. It came so far out of left field that he still felt blindsided by it. He'd always been the first to look a gift horse in the mouth, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't completely smitten with Sora. He knew the obstacles between tonight and honest to goodness friendship were too great for either of them to overcome, but there was a nagging voice inside of him telling him not to let go quite yet. It told him that he _needed_ the breath of life Sora had breathed into him tonight before he went too far and made a flying leap into his final resting place.

It didn't take long after that for him to drift off to sleep, grinning like an idiot.

* * *

The next morning, Sora was up bright and early, slipping out of his apartment, still in his pajamas. Just a short walk down down the hall, he unlocked his best friend's front door with his spare key and walked in like he usually did, like he belonged there. Quietly though, he tiptoed across the living room and down the hall in case she was still sleeping and poked his head into her bedroom.

Kairi was barely awake enough to register that the sun was up, let alone that someone was crawling into her bed with her at seven in the morning. Once her brain finally caught up with this information, however, she smiled and snuggled up to his side.

"You know," she drawled after a big yawn. "It's a really good thing that I don't have a boyfriend right now, or this would be really awkward."

"If your boyfriend can't accept that your best friend likes to crawl into bed with you on occasion, I don't think I can approve of him and might even suggest you dump the neanderthal before things get too serious," replied the cheeky brunet as he flung an arm over her, making her giggle.

"How are you feeling today?" Kairi asked, her voice taking on that motherly tone she was well known for.

"I feel great. Couldn't be better," he answered honestly, giving her a bright, sunny smile. "In fact, I feel so good I'm practically floating on thin air."

"Thin air, huh?" Kairi took the bait, curious as to what had her lifelong friend in such a splendid mood when he'd sounded so down on the phone yesterday afternoon.

"Well..." Sora paused for dramatic effect and sat up, biting his lip as he folded his legs and tucked his hands into his lap. It took every ounce of his self control not to spill everything in one breath like some babbling lunatic. "I met someone last night."

At this news, Kairi's eyes widened and she slowly sat up, never mind that she was clad in nothing but a pink cotton cami and matching panties(it wasn't anything Sora hadn't seen a million times before, anyway), to stare at him with a stupefied expression on her face.

"You... met someone?" the redheaded girl echoed, just to be sure she heard him correctly and wasn't still dreaming."How? Where?" Now that she was sure she was completely awake, she could see that this turn of events had made a huge impact on her friend. He was positively glowing this morning.

"In the park on my way back from Church," Sora supplied innocently, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Kairi didn't seem to think so. "In the middle of the night?!" she all but shrieked in disbelief. "Sora!"

"Relax! Relax! Everything went fine, Kai!" Sora laughed and took her hands in his, giving them a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "I was on my way back from Church, like I said, and I was still feeling kinda gloomy, so I took the longer route home. I was just walking along, minding my own business and thinking about what I'd prayed for, looked up, and there he was. He was just sitting on a bench, all by himself in the dark, and he looked so... lonely. I just _had_ to talk to him," the brunet explained, his baby blues pleading with Kairi to understand.

"Had to my right boob, Sora," she hissed. "One of these days you're going to find yourself in a world of trouble, talking to strangers like that." Finally, she caved under the pressure of that look and sighed. "Fine, what's he like?" she asked, still unable to shake the concern for her friend from her voice. She couldn't help it, she would always worry about Sora. He was too trusting for his own good, and there were so many terrible people in the world that would take advantage of that.

"He's nice, Kai," Sora insisted. "He's nice, and sweet, and shy. His name is Riku, and we're going to meet for drinks again tonight at Merlin's. I just know you would like him. There's nothing _not_ to like."

As skeptical as she was about this Riku character, she couldn't deny that she hadn't seen Sora this worked up over a guy since the seventh grade when one of the actors from his favorite TV show came to town for a book signing. She wanted to be excited for him—she really did, but she couldn't help but wonder what all of this meant to Sora. Sora was a social butterfly, Sora loved people, Sora deserved to be happy more than anyone else she knew... but Sora didn't date. Sora didn't do intimacy period, and as far as she knew, he hadn't even been looking for a boyfriend.

"Personality isn't everything, you know," Kairi shrewdly remarked, not quite sold on this guy yet. "What's he look like?"

Sora was all too happy to divulge this information in great detail. "Ugh, he's gorgeous, Kai. He's maybe a head taller than me, maybe a little on the thin side, but he's got a great body from what I can see. Believe it or not, but he's got this long, silver hair. That's right, _silver_ , and it looks _so_ soft. Then, he's got these- these _eyes._ " With a groan that bordered on downright lewd, Sora threw himself back onto the mattress and stared up at the ceiling with a dazed smile. "He's got these bright, beautiful green eyes that'll take your breath away. He says they make people uncomfortable, but I really think they're just afraid of _drowning_ in them." Sora was well aware of how infatuated he sounded right now, but he didn't care. If he didn't get it off his chest now, he was going to explode.

Beside him, Kairi was quite for a long time. "He sounds really wonderful, Sora, but are you sure he'll be understanding of your... situation?" Concern was clearly etched onto her face as she reached out to take his hand again. "I don't want to see you get hurt."

"... I know," Sora replied softly, some of his joy evaporating. "You don't have to worry about that. As much as I want it, it'll never get that far with him, and I'm okay with that, really." Convincing her of that would be much harder than convincing himself, though. "I just... I prayed so hard, Kai... Harder than I ever have in my life. Someone _had_ to have heard me this time," he explained weakly, his voice suddenly cracking in an effort to hold back his emotions.

"What... What exactly did you pray for, Sora?" she asked, her own voice barely above a whisper. For a long time, Sora didn't answer. She almost began to believe that he wouldn't.

"...I prayed that for one Christmas—just one- I wouldn't be alone. Even if it is the last Christmas I ever celebrate. I just want to know, no matter how short lived it is, what it's like to fall in love with someone."

"Oh, Sora... Honey," Kairi cooed, tears springing to her eyes as she pulled Sora up so she could envelope him in a fierce hug. Sora knew that he was never truly alone, that he would always have her, but Kairi understood what he meant, and it drove a knife through her heart that he even had to ask God for such a thing. Her best friend had so much love to give and no one special in his life to share it with. As much as he loved people, he was so afraid of hurting someone he cared that deeply for, that he refused to allow anyone too close, dooming his chances at ever finding the person who would set his heart free.

Silently, as they both shed silent tears on her bed, Kairi hoped like hell that if Riku really was a gift from God, that _he_ could work miracles, too.

* * *

Please review! You all are my inspiration to continue writing!


	3. Hiding in Plain Sight

**A/N:** Alright, so this is a really long chapter, so I've decided to break it up into two parts. Part 2 is already written and ready to go up, but it will not be posted until I've gotten at least ten reviews. Yes, I'm bribing you. Deal. I'm really not getting as much feedback on this fic as I'd hoped, so if you all wish for me to continue so you can find out what happens, then please leave a review.

For those of you who have sent me private messages with your guess, thank you. Yes, I have received them, and no I won't be responding back to tell you whether you're wrong or right. You'll just have to wait and see. Constructive criticism is always welcome, so again, please review if you'd like to find out how Riku and Sora's second date goes.

* * *

 **Hiding in Plain Sight**

That day, Riku slept like the dead. By 7:30, night had fallen, encompassing the city in darkness and gradually rousing the silverette from his slumber. The first thing he noticed when he opened his eyes was that he was still fully clothed, but his coat and shoes had been removed. This was no doubt Axel's doing. The second thing he noticed was that his friend was nowhere in the room and had probably left a while ago. It wasn't anything unusual. Axel was not only an early riser, but claustrophobic. He hated to be confined behind four walls and jumped at the first chance to escape his proverbial prison. Riku was the exact opposite.

Happy to live out the rest of his days in peaceful solitude, Riku dreaded every time he had to venture out into society, but also understood that it was a necessity. Aside from the fact that he would eventually starve if he didn't go out, there was only so long that he could look at the same drab interior before he he adopted Axel's frame of mind and went howling mad. Tonight,however, was going to be a different story. For the first time in forever, he was looking forward to going out.

Taking stock of his mental and physical condition, the silverette quickly deduced that, all things considered, he felt pretty good. He was in dire need of a shower and badly wanted to brush his teeth, but it could be overlooked for a little longer. He was hungry, the subtle ache in his gut reminding him that he no longer had anything in his stomach. Suddenly, last night came rushing back in vivid clarity and a minuscule smile crept onto his lips.

With plenty of time to kill before he had to meet Sora, he was in no hurry to climb out of bed just yet. Stretching out, he rolled over, fully intending to doze off for another hour, and blinked. A tall glass of what the redhead fondly referred to as "breakfast" awaited him on the bedside table. Riku stared at it for a moment, ignoring the way his mouth watered despite how unappealing it looked. Whether it was a ploy to entice him into eating, or simply to drive him out of bed to start his night, Riku appreciated the gesture all the same.

With a heavy sigh, the silverette chose the latter option and got up to stumble to the bathroom, making a mental note to thank his friend for his thoughtfulness, even if it was going to go to waste. The two of them had been friends for as long as he could remember, but he was still wary about putting anything Axel had prepared anywhere near his mouth after that pepper incident.

Stripping out of his clothes, he turned on the shower to allow the water to heat up while he brushed his teeth. With that task out of the way, and feeling significantly better for it, he stepped under the hot spray and closed his eyes, wiping his mind clean of all thoughts pertaining to Axel, food, or anything else involving his fucked up life. With his head clear, the image of Sora's smiling face drifted back, and his hands stilled in the process of lathering his thick mane of silver hair with shampoo.

He'd only just met the boy last night, but in the privacy of Axel's home, behind the closed and locked bathroom door and a thick shower curtain, Riku smirked. Entertaining the indecent thoughts swimming through his brain seemed like a pretty good idea at the moment.

Hands slowing in their chore, the silverette imagined smaller, undoubtedly soft hands combing through his hair, short nails scraping against his scalp, gentle fingers tugging at the long strands to drag him closer, keep his hot, ravaging mouth against the heavy pulse at his throat. Sour would moan so sweetly for him as he nipped and sucked at his succulent, caramel toned skin, every beat of his heart felt against his moist tongue. It wouldn't be long until they were dragging their clothes off, eager – no, desperate – to feel the others naked flesh against their own.

Sora would be a sight to behold, surely. Even in the dark, with only the pale moonlight pouring in through a window, Riku would see everything, watch the boy squirm with coy impatience, marvel at the longing burning behind those shadowed blue eyes.

" _Do you trust me?"_

" _...I... I trust you," Sora answered in a whisper, begging his racing heart to calm before it gave out. Reaching out a quivering hand, he placed it upon Riku's exposed chest, cool and firm like marble beneath his fingers. He could feel his heart beating just as hard._

 _Taking Sora's hand into his own, Riku brought it to his lips and kissed his trembling fingers, a silent promise that he would not only be patient, but gentle tonight; something that belied his very nature. The smile that he received told him everything he needed to know._

 _Sora did trust him. Implicitly._

 _Leaning in, he captured Sora's lips in a slow, merciless kiss, plundering the boy's mouth for all he was worth as he guided him back towards the unfamiliar bed dressed neatly in white. Riku didn't recognize it, or the room for that matter, but when Sora wrapped his slender arms around his neck, mewled against his lips and tongue as they made their controlled descent onto the pillowy mattress, the silverette found himself not caring in the least._

 _They were panting by the time they pulled away from each other, Sora's head dropping back to rest against the pristine comforter, but Riku's desire was relentless, easily overpowering the need to breathe. Hungry lips traveled down the brunet's throat, teeth grazing over the delicate curve of his collarbone, and Sora's back arched deliciously for him. Those small hands were everywhere, touching, teasing, mapping out every contour of his back, shoulders, and arms, and when his tongue flicked out to taste one of the boy's mocha colored nipples, Sora gasped and rocked his hips against him. That simple motion, uncontrollable as it was, delivered the most euphoric of pleasure, and it took every ounce of willpower not to take the smaller male then and there._

 _Beneath him, the brunet was a writhing mess, ready and willing to take everything Riku had to offer, and more. Kiss swollen lips were parted and moist, ocean blue eyes closed to the world to better enjoy the sinful things that mouth was doing to him, and his lithe but toned body shivered and undulated upon the bed in answer to every kiss, every lick, every nip._

 _Watching his soon to be lover wriggle through half lidded green eyes as he moved lower set fire to his veins, aroused him like nothing ever had before. The boy was breathtaking in every sense of the word, an angel in the flesh if there ever was such a thing, and Riku felt not an ounce of guilt for tarnishing this small piece of Heaven, for clipping this angel's wings. Riku was a creature of greed, and his need to claim Sora, to possess him, overrode all rational thoughts of the consequences that awaited him for blatantly stepping on God's toes like this._

 _For now, in this moment, Sora was_ _ **his**_ _._

 _The whimper that drifted to his ears when he lifted his head made him smirk, but he didn't return to the task of laving Sora's slender hips with slow, sensual sweeps of his tongue until the brunet opened his eyes and lifted his head. Those cerulean gems were begging him to continue, not to stop, not to ever stop and this satisfied the silverette to no end. Taking pity on the boy, he slipped off the bed and trailed his palms up Sora's thighs from his knees to his juncture of his pelvis, spreading them wider._

 _Sora shuddered violently at the wonderful sensation of cool, silken strands of hair spilling over his heated flesh, tickling in some places, eliciting an entirely different reaction in others. Then Riku's mouth was on him again, and the brunet cried out. His head dropped back onto the covers as he tangled his fingers in thick, pale tresses, urging the older male to take him deeper into his his mouth._

 _Happy to oblige, the silverette took more of him in, dragging his tongue slowly and firmly along the underside of his length, then over the sensitive tip. Sora rewarded him with another moan, and in return, Riku gave him exactly what he wanted. He engulfed the brunet completely, ignoring his own need in lieu of driving Sora closer and closer to the brink of madness, reveling in every whimper, every moan, the way the boy's thighs tensed each time he rolled his hips up to sheath himself inside the wet heat of Riku's mouth again, and again. The silverette could feel Sora's pulse here, too, thrumming against his tongue as it had at his throat, and he moaned, deep and low. The steady vibration of his voice all around Sora's turgid flesh had Sora releasing the loudest cry yet as his toes curled and he arched up off the bed._

 _Riku knew he was close, he could feel it in his thighs, in the way those hands gripped his hair, the tension winding tighter and tighter until his entire body was taut as a bow string. All he needed was a little extra push..._

Riku came back to reality with a strangled gasp, dazed and disorientated from the sheer force of his orgasm. Breathing hard and more than a little weak in the knees, he continued to lean against the shower wall for support, satisfied, but disappointed that his fantasy couldn't have lasted just a few minutes longer. Coming down off his high slowly, the silverette slipped his hand under the shower's cold spray to wash away the evidence of his release from his fingers and tipped his head back against the tiles. When he closed his eyes, he could still see the look of pure rapture on Sora's face, and in the quiet of the empty bathroom, he chuckled.

"RIKU!"

The voice was so loud, so clear, it may as well have been in the shower with him. Simultaneously, green eyes shot open and his feet slipped out from under him, sending the alarmed silverette crashing to the floor of the tub with a yelp and a series of painful sounding thuds, soon followed by a long string of colorful expletives.

* * *

Sora had been in an exceptionally good mood the entire day. He practically ran to work, anxious to spill his guts to his other best friend/co-worker, Roxas, before his shift ended. He arrived almost an hour early—much to everyone's surprise – and spent the entire time recounting every last detail while helping the blonde restock shelves.

Roxas wasn't as pessimistic about Sora's late night encounter, but then again, Sora expected as much. Roxas was only two inches taller than him, but he had an attitude larger than life, and with sharp blue eyes and a whip-like tongue, he had no trouble backing it up. The two of them were remarkably alike in appearance, but that was as far as the similarities went.

A bit of a delinquent, the blonde had landed himself in a bit of trouble with the law last year, and on top of some hefty fines, had to put in over a hundred hours of community service to right the wrongs he'd done. Sora fondly remembered the day he'd shown up for work, dreading the grueling task of cleaning up the mess some angry, misunderstood kid no older than him had made, to find said kid kneeling on the floor in the middle of isle one, scrubbing orange spray paint off the linoleum tiles with a soapy brush. As much as Sora wanted to be angry at the self imposed punk in dirty Vans with chipping black fingernail polish on his nails, he simply couldn't. Sora couldn't stay mad at anyone for longer than it took to spell his name. Despite Roxas' devil-may-care disposition, he soon fell victim to Sora's charms and the two of them had become fast friends.

"So... He's nice, hot, _and_ available? Please tell me you're gonna ask him out. Or at least bang him," the blonde managed out around the berry blue sucker perched on his tongue. In the entire year that he'd worked with Sora(He miraculously landed a job here after the manager saw how hard of a worker he was. Said it'd do him some good, keep him out of trouble while providing him with a steady income.), this was definitely the first time hearing about someone his friend was genuinely interested in. Sure, they gossiped all the time about some of the cute guys that came in to shop, but it was only Roxas who was ever bold enough to approach any of them, and subsequently return with a phone number. Sora never even tried. It was almost like the brunet was content to sit on the sidelines and watch _him_ have all the fun.

"Eh?!" the shorter boy croaked, his cheeks flushing red. "Rox, I think you've got it all backwards." When the blonde chuckled, a pout tugged at his lips. Sometimes, he didn't understand Roxas. He wouldn't exactly call his friend "easy", but he didn't play hard to get, either. Sora didn't particularly see anything wrong with this, because Roxas was a young, healthy, sexually active male, but sometimes he envied his friend for being so loose. "Besides, I don't really know for sure that he's _available_ available, you know? Meaning I don't even know if he's into guys like that."

"But he's into you, right? Like... you said he wanted to see you again?" asked Roxas as he cut open another box and started fishing out packages of men's socks.

"I think so. I mean, we'll see tonight if he shows up at the cafe or flakes on me, but that doesn't mean he's single. There's no _way_ he's single," Sora explained. Though if he thought back on it, the silver haired male with captivating green eyes didn't seem like the type to agree to something if he really didn't want to.

"Who cares if he's single or not? If you're into him, then have a go at him. He'll be hard pressed to pass you up, even if he is involved with someone else."  
"Ugh... I can't even begin to tell you how skewed that logic is. He could just be interested in friendship," the brunet countered, purely for the sake of arguing. What it got him was a disbelieving look, lofted brow and all.

"Really, Sora? Really?" Roxas replied, shoving an unopened pack of briefs into the others arms."I don't think any male in the history of gay males could take one look at you and say he's only interested in friendship. Sure, they might be able to say it to your face, but I bet you next month's salary that they're _lying_. Hell, if it wasn't for the sake of ruining our friendship, I would have bent you over in one of the dressing rooms and screwed you senseless about a hundred times by now. God knows I've entertained the idea enough. I'm both appalled and proud that I haven't yet, but-"

"Oh my God, Roxas! Stop!" the brunet wailed in mortification, torn between covering his face—which was red as a tomato – and covering his ears. "That is _way_ too much information."

Roxas shrugged and smirked, abandoning his duties to sling an arm over the brunet's shoulders. "The point is, if you like the guy, then like him, and let him know. I don't understand what you're so afraid of. You're smart, funny, kind, and an easy ten on a scale as far as looks go, so what's the hangup? You're not getting any younger and at this rate, you're going to die a virgin if you don't stop making excuses and just take the risk for once."

"That's easy for _you_ to say," Sora muttered, lowering his gaze to the floor. "But I'm not you, you know."

"That's kinda the idea, Sor. I can't sit back and continue to allow you to live vicariously through me anymore, not when an opportunity like this presents itself. Now, either take it as far as you can, or fuck the guy and go your separate ways. Stop using your insecurities as a handicap and _live_ a little."

As much as Sora hated to admit it, Roxas made a valid point. Sometimes, Roxas was the last person he wanted to take advice from, but other times, he had to stop and ask himself why he didn't listen to him more often. He could always trust the blonde to give it to him straight, and not sugar coat things to spare his feelings. He didn't pity the brunet, even behind his back, and he told him the truth, even when it wasn't what he wanted to hear.

* * *

While Riku dressed in the bedroom, Axel sat quietly on the sofa in the near dark living room, nursing his bruising cheek. His acute hearing easily picked up the sounds of the fuming silverette tearing through his closet for something to wear, and he didn't even want to think about the disaster that awaited him once his friend was through. Maybe sneaking in on Riku in the shower wasn't the brightest idea he ever had, but the good laugh he got was almost worth the throbbing, tender jaw he now had. Almost.

Still muttering curses under his breath, Riku emerged from the bedroom, clad in a pair of jeans and an unbuttoned long sleeve white shirt over a black muscle shirt, his hair noticeably still damp from his shower. Angry as he was, his footfalls were silent as he stalked to the kitchen for a bottle of water, because Riku was _far_ too mature to childishly stomp through the apartment to further punctuate his mood. He was well aware of the set of eyes trailing after him as he flipped on the light, and even more so reminded of the redhead's presence when he left the couch to join him.

"Whatever you're about to say, Axel, I don't want to hear it," the silverette growled as he yanked open the refrigerator door and peered inside. He was met with only silence, but he could hear the other shift to lean against the archway and fold his arms over his chest.

"Alright, alright. But I just thought I should let you know, Sally got in touch with me today," was all Axel said. It was all he needed to say. He watched the silverette pause in his endeavor to reorganize the contents of his fridge in such a way that made the OCD in him cringe, and he didn't even know what those letters really stood for. "Why didn't you tell Jack that you were leaving, Riku?"

"Does it matter?" Riku spat after another moment, resuming his search. "That bonehead wouldn't have remembered had I told him to his face."

"That's not the point, Riku, and you know it."

"Did you rat me out?" asked the silverette as he retreated from the refrigerator, the last unopened bottle of water in his hand. "Is that why you came back and felt the need to barge in on me in the _shower_? To warn me?"

Axel shrugged. "I told her I haven't seen you, but if I did, I'd let her know."

"You _lied_ to Sally? How very uncharacteristic of you, Axe," Riku replied with a bemused smirk.

"This isn't funny, Riku. If Jack comes looking for you and finds out I lied for you? It'll be both our heads in the guillotine."

"Then I won't let him find me." It was Riku's turn to shrug, and it was with an air of nonchalance that had the redhead gritting his teeth and narrowing his eyes on him.

"That's easier said than done, buddy. Your self-destructive tendencies have a bad habit of drawing a lot of attention, whether you want it to or not. Hence the tight leash he puts on you."

"That isn't going to happen this time, Axe," the silverette reassured his friend before uncapping the bottle of water and taking a few long, slow gulps.

"Oh?" Curiosity piqued by the resolve he heard in Riku's voice, the redhead lofted a brow and pushed off the archway. "What's so different about _this_ time? How can you be so sure?"

"It's just not." Riku chuckled and turned away from him. "I'll go back, but when _I'm_ ready. I'm not ready yet."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the hot chocolate incident, would it? You've been in an interesting mood ever since you came back last night."

"Maybe, maybe not," the silverette answered, skirting around his friend before he could corner him, and hastily exited the kitchen.

"Okay, Ri. Spill," Axel demanded, hot on his heels. He trailed after him all the way back to the bedroom before the other responded.

"I'm not telling you anything, Axel." No longer feeling quite so angry, he allowed himself to smirk as he went in search of a pair of socks to wear. He really was fortunate that he and Axel were about the same size, because sneaking away with anything more than a backpack would have been neigh impossible. At Axel's growl, Riku smugly plopped down on the corner of the bed to dress his feet.

"So let me get this straight. I'm putting my ass on the line by not only covering for you, but giving you a place to stay, and you won't even give me an idea of what you've been up to?" Axel was used to the odds being stacked against him, but that sounded just a tad bit _too_ unfair.

"Nope." Riku pushed off the bed, fully intending to leave before things got out of hand, but when the redhead barked his name in that warning tone, he knew it wasn't going to be that easy. "It's none of your business, alright?" the silverette hissed, yanking his coat off the back of Axel's desk chair, but Axel was there to block his path before he could make a clean getaway.

"You consumed enough hot chocolate to spend two hours in the bathroom, puking your guts out. That's a little cause for concern, don't you think? Then there's the whole shower thing tonight – yes, I heard – and the secrets? I'm not stupid, Riku, and shame on you for assuming I'm not observant enough to notice something radically different about my _best friend_." Even in the dark bedroom, with only the light in the hall to illuminate a portion of the room, Axel could easily discern the indignant blush rising to Riku's cheeks. That alone was enough to prove his theory correct. "You're not out there piling up more skeletons in your closet to spite your old man, you're _seeing_ someone."

Riku knew there was no way he was getting out of this without telling his friend the truth.


	4. Hiding in Plain Sight -Pt 2

A/N: FINALLY posting part 2 of chapter 3! I am terribly sorry about the wait, but to reward you all for your patience and your reviews, I went back and doubled, yes DOUBLED, the length of this chapter for you. I want to give a special thanks YouJustWatch, Nebuchad, and Vonthemage for their in depth reviews, giving me a real idea of how they feel about the story thus far. Of course, I thank all the other reviewers as well, you're kind words of encouragement mean the world to me. This installment has not been fully proofread, so there may be a few small mistakes here and there. If you happen upon one, please feel free to point it out to me and it will be corrected promptly. Chapter 4 is well on it's way to completion, but I've hit a small snag and I will be asking you, the readers, for help at the end of this chapter. After that, it'll be smooth sailing and you all will be given another reward for your honest opinions!

Without further ado, here is the latest Chapter in Strangers in the Night! Enjoy!

* * *

Sora glanced down at his watch for what felt like the millionth time in the last fifteen minutes. He was excited and nervous, exhilarated, yet terrified. All these contradicting emotions roiling inside of him was dizzying. It was like having a stomach full of motion sick, rabid butterflies, and if they didn't stop flapping around in there, _he_ was going to be sick.

Ten-thirty rolled around. Every second that ticked by as he stood outside Merlin's in the cold, waiting for that familiar face to separate from all the others, was another second to doubt that Riku was going to show. Another minute and the brunette was beginning to feel stupid for thinking he had a chance with someone like him.

Last night had surely been a total ruse, he told himself. The bottom line was that Sora didn't _know_ Riku, but he knew enough to know it was too good to be true. People like Riku usually were. The silver haired beauty had probably been bored and had nothing better to do than humor him, especially if it involved a free drink. Maybe he even pitied him, just like everyone else. Maybe he could _see_ how desperate he was.

Sora's eyes stung with the promise of bitter tears and he turned on his heel, intending to leave before anyone saw him like this. He wasn't going to check the time again, and he wasn't going to make a bigger fool of himself by standing around until he turned into a popsicle, waiting for someone who had most likely forgotten his name already.

The brunette didn't make it three steps before he collided with another body. Letting out a startled squeak, Sora attempted to backpedal and apologize, but a steady, gentle hold on his arms prevented him from pulling back very far.

"Hello, stranger."

Sora blinked and looked up, shocked to see none other than Riku smiling down at him and his heart gave an anxious flutter. "R-Riku!" It was ridiculous how badly he wanted to hug the other with relief, now feeling even more stupid for thinking the silverette had stood him up.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Riku answered. "A friend of mine held me up a bit longer than I expected." And just for that, the redhead was going to have two bruised cheeks by morning, instead of just one. A minute later and Sora would have been gone, taking any plans Riku had for an enjoyable evening with him.

"O-oh, that's fine," Sora replied with a weak laugh. Riku had yet to release him and the brunette felt his face warming considerably at their close proximity. "I kinda figured something came up and you couldn't make it."

"You really thought I wasn't going to come," the silverette concluded more than asked with a small, guilty smile, dipping his head to get a better look at the boy's face. If it hadn't been for the moisture gathered on the brunette's lashes, he almost would have believed he wasn't even upset about it. When glistening sapphire eyes lifted and locked on his, his breath caught in his throat and he was sorely tempted to pull him closer. "Come on, let's go inside and get warmed up," he prompted when he felt Sora shiver. He wanted to think it was because of how close they were standing at the moment, but logic reasoned that the silly brunette had probably arrived early and stood outside the entire time waiting for him. "You must be freezing." Turning him around, he placed a hand at the small of Sora's back and guided him towards the entrance of Merlin's.

"Go find us a seat and I'll get the drinks this time. My treat for making you wait so long," Riku said once they were inside, nudging the younger male towards the tables.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Sora protested with a smile. "It's fine, really. I don't mind buying, since I'm the one who-"

"Go find a seat, Sora," the silverette insisted with a chuckle, cutting Sora off mid-ramble. He shook his head when the boy's expression turned sheepish and watched him slink away to do as he was told.

The cafe was more crowded this early in the night, the majority of the tables occupied by regular customers. Some of them Sora recognized, but there were a few he was sure he'd never seen before. It was only by sheer luck that he bypassed an empty table and wandered further towards the back of the cafe where a few couches and cozy armchairs were. A young couple, who had no doubt been cuddled up together on one of the sofas a moment ago, was slowly rising to their feet. Seizing the opportunity with both hands, the brunette stepped in to claim the spot the moment they vacated.

Plopping down on one of the cushions, he unzipped and shouldered out of his coat, draping it over the closest arm, then tucked his feet under him and settled in to wait for Riku. From where he sat, he couldn't see the silverette, but that didn't stop him from grinning. His heart no longer pounded with trepidation and disappointment, but with elation, and those pesky little butterflies were much more pleasant now that they weren't trying to claw their way out of his gut.

A few minutes later, juggling two drinks and a warm cinnamon roll on a paper plate, the silverette maneuvered expertly through the throng of tables, having no trouble picking Sora's unruly brown spikes out of the crowd. He approached the couch the brunette sat on and handed over his hot cocoa first, then placed his own drink on the small table beside him, before offering up the cinnamon roll. The way Sora's eyes lit up like a child's on Christmas morning was all the thanks he needed.

"Is this... for me?" Sora asked as Riku sank down next to him on the couch and removed his own coat and the scarf Sora had given him last night.

"No, it's for me. I just thought I'd torture you with it first," teased the older boy, smirking at the pout that quickly appeared on Sora's lips. "Of course it's for you. My way of apologizing again for being so late." As cute as that little downturn of Sora's lips was, Riku wasn't disappointed to see it replaced with another smile.

"You really didn't have to. I've already forgiven you, but thank you. Cinnamon rolls are one of my favorite foods in the whole world," Sora beamed, his mouth already watering at the delicious sugary aroma wafting off the plate in his hand. "But... what about you?" he asked, his brows furrowing when he noticed that the silverette had gotten a glass of water tonight. "Are you drinking water? Didn't you like the hot cocoa?"

"It was good, but I'm fine with water for now," he replied with a reassuring smile, tucking a stray lock of silver hair behind an ear. "Never did have much of a sweet tooth, and I've already eaten tonight."

Placing his drink on the table beside Riku's to cool down, the brunette tentatively tore into the sticky bun, ripping off a chunk of the outside layer. Instead of shoving the whole piece into his mouth like he wanted to, he nibbled at it, savoring the warm, sweet dessert with reverence. As much as he loved them, the brunet rarely indulged in fresh baked goods like this, his meager paychecks hardly allowed it. So dropping one in Sora's lap easily earned the silverette a few extra favoritism points, more than making up for his tardiness.

"You look like you're enjoying that," Riku mused as he leaned into the back of the couch and brought a knee up to rest his elbow on.

"Mmm-hmm!" replied the brunette, swallowing before tearing off another piece and holding it out. "Would you like to try it? It's really good."

"I'm alright, but thanks," Riku answered with a small laugh. Sora just shrugged and popped it into his mouth, chewing happily. While it didn't look very appetizing, at least it smelled good. He never really stopped to appreciate the scent of cinnamon before, not until he met this boy. He had detected subtle traces of it on him earlier when they bumped into each other outside, and he quickly decided that not only did it suit Sora, but he liked it, too.

"So,what are you doing for the holidays? Do you have any family here to spend Christmas with?" asked the younger male after a few minutes, as if he could sense that Riku's thoughts were drifting.

Torn from his silent musings by the sound of Sora's voice, he resisted the overwhelming urge to snort and roll his eyes. "No, no family here, just my friend and temporary roommate, Axel, that I drop in on from time to time. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of Christmas, and neither is Axel. Hence why I usually visit him during this time of year."

"Oh?" Sora interjected, curious as ever. "How come?" Another bite of roll went into his mouth and he chewed slowly while waiting for Riku to answer.

"I'm just not," replied the silver haired male with a shrug. "Christmas is kind of a really big deal where I'm from – especially with my dad. He's not at all interested in the religious aspect of the holiday, but the noise and color, and the overall splendor... ugh, it gets old _really_ fast." He wasn't even going to broach the topic of his guardian's obsession with "Sandy Claws".

Beside him, Sora reached out for his cup to take a drink. It was only then that the silverette allowed his eyes to wander below the brunette's neckline. The boy was slim, if not a little on the scrawny side, his large red hoodie and baggy jeans almost swallowing him up and giving his imagination nothing to prey on. At Sora's snicker, his eyes darted back to the boy's face, fearing he'd been caught, to see him grinning at him over the lid of his cup.

"What? What's so funny?" Riku asked, feeling a smile tugging at his own lips.

"Nothing, but... aren't you a little young to be such a Grinch?"

"I'm not a Grinch," Riku scoffed, then quirked a brow. "And I'm not that young, either."

"Well, no... but you gotta at least be around my age, right? Unless you just look _really_ good for an old guy."

"What?" Riku laughed, unsure if he should take that as a compliment or an insult. When Sora gave him a silly, flirtatious smile and wagged his eyebrows, the older male settled on the former.

"With that silver hair of yours, it could be difficult to tell. Compliments to your stylist, though," Sora teased.

"It's natural," the silverette replied, smirking at the way those blue eyes widened.

"Nuh-uh!" the brunette hissed incredulously before his eyes narrowed on the other. "I don't believe you."

"I'm dead serious," Riku laughed. "This is my natural hair color, I swear."

"Really?" Sora couldn't help but stare with open wonder at Riku, who was smiling so charmingly it was impossible to think he was speaking anything but the truth. When the silverette nodded in confirmation, Sora giggled and shook his head. "You really are an oddball, aren't you? You wear the look well, though. Long silver hair, and those pretty green eyes, I wouldn't be surprised if you told me you have men and women alike fawning over you day and night. You probably do and they just haven't found out where you've snuck off to yet. I don't have to worry about an angry mob showing up in the middle of our date, do I?"

"No, no," Riku snickered, "Nothing like that, I promise."

"No disgruntled exes or current boyfriends I need to watch out for?" It was only after he'd said it that Sora realized his blunder. "Or uh... girlfriends, of course. Sorry," he apologized, his cheeks warming. "I guess at some point I got it in my head that someone _that_ pretty just can't be straight and often times I confuse my gay-dar with my please-be-gay-dar. I didn't mean to assume-."

"That's the second time you've referred to me as pretty," the silverette cut in, amusement evident in his voice. Riku smirked when his offhand comment made the brunette blush darker and advert his eyes to his plate. It felt good to smile and laugh this much. He hadn't done it in a long, long time. "It's fine, Sora. To answer your question, if I had to use a label, I would say I'm bisexual, and as far as a significant other goes, I'm single. At least for now."

"For now? Is that going to change anytime soon?" Sora could feel his pulse in his ears, drowning out the dull chatter of the rest of the cafe as he lifted his head.

"Mmm... That depends. I have my eye on this cute little brunette that I met in the park yesterday, but I'm not entirely sure he's interested in me that way. After all, I only just met him."

"He would have to be an idiot not to be." Sora grinned, picking up the remainder of his sticky bun to polish it off. He felt like he was on cloud nine, giddy as a foal on the first day of spring at what Riku was implying.

"Hmmm... Then maybe I should ask him if he'd like to go for a walk with me. Somewhere less crowded... The park, perhaps?" As much as the silverette was enjoying the ambiance of the the cafe, it was a little too crowded, too loud, for his comfort, and people were still pouring in off the streets.

"I'm sure he wouldn't say no," Sora played along, his heart jumping with excitement when the silverette gracefully rose to his feet and offered him his hand. Smiling from ear to ear, the brunette uncurled his legs and accepted it.

Riku pulled the boy to his feet and watched as he slipped into his heavy winter coat, zipping it up. When Sora ambled away to dispose of his empty plate in one of the trash receptacles, the silverette pulled his own coat on and wrapped the colorful scar around his neck. Like magnets, they met somewhere in the middle and Sora boldly slipped his arm through Riku's.

"Shall we?" inquired the eldest of the two as he swept out his free arm in the direction of the door, making the petite brunette giggle and nod.

"Lead the way." Back outside, Sora took a deep breath of the crisp night air. It wasn't as cold tonight, and with Riku's larger form shielding him from the occasional breeze as they walked down the street, Sora found himself enjoying their walk already. "So, did you have anywhere particular in mind? The park is a pretty big place," he asked. "Not that I would mind just walking around aimlessly with you in the dark for a couple hours."

"Not really," Riku chuckled," but it probably isn't a good idea to stay out here that long." They crossed the street at the end of the block then, and entered the park at a leisurely gait. "Have any ideas? I'm still not all that familiar with the area."

"Well, there's a skating rink just down this path a little ways, right by the church," he suggested in a cheery voice. "Do you know how to skate?" Sora gifted the silverette with another one of hose sweet, hopeful smiles and the taller boy was sold.

"Can't say I've had many opportunities to practice, but I've done it once or twice." He was terrible at it, too.

"Great! Then let's go skating together! That's supposed to be romantic, right?" Sora was already walking faster, tugging Riku along by the arm. Riku merely rolled his eyes and smiled. He didn't see what was so romantic about sliding around on a sheet of ice, falling on your ass every five seconds, and risking a concussion on top of broken bones and a bruised ego, but if that was what his date wanted to do, then far be it from him to argue. He was quickly coming to terms with the fact that he liked seeing this boy with a smile on his face, and if his pride was the only thing to suffer in keeping it there, then that was only a small price to pay.

As their steps evened out and they resumed walking at a normal pace, Riku's mind drifted back to his earlier escapade in the shower before Axel had barged in on him. He wondered if he should feel guilty for thinking such indecent thoughts about someone he'd only just met; someone so innocent. He wished he could just blame it on teenage hormones, but deep down, he knew it wasn't that simple. Axel's reaction to his admission that he _had_ met someone had been one of tremulous shock and apprehension, and it was a cold, hard slap in the face for the silverette. He could see the worry in his friend's eyes, feel the tension building in the room, thick as fog, and it made him angry. He was angry that the redhead wasn't going to let him deny reality, even just for one day.

The utter lack of human contact Riku had left him vulnerable, susceptible and easy to sway. As a general rule, he kept his distance, not only because of this, but because he wasn't given a choice. He could pretend all he wanted, but at the end of the day, he was who he was and he didn't belong here, amongst _normal_ people.

Death was a natural part of life, but for Riku, it was a _way_ of life. It was all he knew. Everyone Riku had ever even remotely cared about was dead, or at least had one foot in the grave. But Sora wasn't. Sora was young, and vibrant, and _full_ of life. His eyes shined like the brightest of stars in the night sky, his smile was beautiful and honest, warmed him from the inside out, and though small in stature, the brunette's presence could easily captivate an entire room. It was no wonder he was infatuated with the boy. Sora was everything he was not.

"My Grandfather used to bring me me here all the time, almost every Sunday after church," Sora said after coming to a halt, drawing the silver haired male out of his thoughts. "During the warmer months, we'd go to the playground, but this was always my favorite." It was the first time he'd mentioned him in Riku's presence, or anyone in his family for that matter.

For a moment, nothing else was said between them as they stared ahead. The pond was a small one, no bigger than half a football field, but in some way, that only added to its charm. Tall, portable spotlights illuminated the frozen body of water and the few skaters gliding effortlessly over it. Nearby, there was a quaint little shack-like trailer where people could rent skates if they didn't have their own, and even a small pavilion fortified with thin Plexiglas where people could escape the cold for a while and warm up by a gas powered heater. Everyone seemed oblivious to the cold, though; those who weren't skating were either milling around the area or parked on one of the benches along the pond's banks.

"Is he the one who taught you how to skate?" asked Riku when they began to walk again.

"He was. In fact, he taught me almost everything I know," replied the brunette. "It was always just me and him, so we spent a lot of time together. Ice skating was one of his favorite hobbies, too, and he was really good at it."

"Do you still come here with him?"

"...No. He passed away two years ago, so it's just me now."

"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that." Riku felt mildly ashamed for pushing the topic when he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

"It's alright," Sora replied with a small smile and clung a little tighter to Riku's arm. "I made peace with it a long time ago. He isn't suffering, and he's with my Grandmother now, so I can't be upset about it, even if I do miss him."

Before Riku could ask about his parents, they were standing in front of the trailer. Sora stared up at the pudgy, dark skinned man wearing what had to be the world's ugliest Christmas sweater and not looking too happy about it, either. Riku was more interested in the horribly painted mural of what he surmised was a girl and boy skating. What it actually looked like was a pair of deformed midgets glued to a mirror.

"Whad'dya want," the man inside the trailer groused obnoxiously around a golf ball sized wad of gum. Beady eyes narrowed on the brunette first, then shifted to where Sora's arm was linked with Riku's.

"Um... We'd like to rent two pairs of skates, please," requested Sora, mildly intimidated by the burly man in front of him. The brunette offered him a friendly smile, but got nothing but a leer in return as the man jabbed a finger at the sign to his left. It read quite clearly that his business hours were from noon to 11:30pm.

"Closin' in thirty minutes. Come back t'marrow," he snapped.

"W-we don't mind paying for the full hour, sir," reassured the shortest boy, put off by the man's unsavory attitude.

"You got snow packed in yer ears or somethin'? I said come –" Abruptly, the man fell silent and his jaw clamped shut.

From the moment the old man opened his mouth, Riku didn't like him. His fists were balled tightly in the pockets of his coat to curb the overwhelming desire to shut him up. Permanently. When he took that tone with Sora again, and he felt the boy's shoulders droop in disappointment, Riku had had enough. Slowly, he lifted his head and leveled his gaze on the man inside the trailer, twin green orbs staring up at him between slivers of pale hair, and the man stopped. Riku didn't curl his lip in disgust, despite how much he wanted to, and he didn't even glare. His expression was carefully neutral, and he didn't speak a word, because he didn't have to. If looks alone could kill, then the man was witnessing his death unfold a thousand times over within the icy depths of those aquamarine eyes.

"Just for the half hour, alright?" the heavy male continued, unsettled. He turned away from the pair quickly to mask his discomfort, and to escape that disturbing stare before it hollowed out his soul. "What'er yer sizes?" he asked, oblivious to how the brunette perked right up.

"A size six for me, please." He looked to Riku when the silverette didn't answer and his smile faltered when he saw the look on the others face. It chilled him to the bone, made the little hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and now he understood what Riku meant when he said his eyes made people uncomfortable. To be able to promise someone that authorities will never find a body if they pissed him off, with just one look, was quite an impressive feat. "Riku?"

"Hm?" As if snapped out off a trance, the silverette blinked, then looked at him, that unexplainable darkness gone and replaced with something much nicer. "A ten for me."

They took their skates when they were all but shoved at them, and Sora left the cash on the counter. The man didn't say another word as he collected it and watched them walk away with a deep frown, and the two of them didn't spare him another thought, heading off in the direction of the nearest available seat, which happened to be a picnic table just a couple feet away from the pond.

"That's a pretty interesting trick you've got there," commented the younger boy with a wry grin once they were out of earshot, extracting his arm from Riku's to sit down.

"It comes in handy," Riku chuckled, plopping down next to him. "Especially when dealing with assholes like that guy." While Sora toed out of his well worn boots and slipped into his skates, Riku did the same, making sure to lace them up securely so he didn't end up breaking an ankle tonight(That'd be fun to explain to Axel). Once they were set to go, they stood and used each other for support as they wobbled their way to the ice.

Sora was the first to step out onto the frozen water, and though Riku hesitated, he soon followed with slow, baby steps. It took them both a moment to find their feet, mostly because the silverette was unused to standing in skates, but Sora kept a firm hold on him to keep him steady, doing little to stifle his snicker when the silverette starting sliding backward instead of forward. With a gentle tug, though, they were off to a good start, Sora smiling and Riku frowning in deep concentration.

"So, what about your parents?" Riku asked when he felt comfortable enough to do to things at once, remembering where their earlier conversation had left off. "Where are they at?"

"Well, my mom died during labor. Dad was never in the picture to begin with. My grandparents raised me from the day I left the hospital." The ease with which Sora spoke about it clearly indicated that it didn't bother him, but it still surprised the silverette. "They always said my parents were a bunch of crackpots anyway, and I was better off without them. Never really thought twice about it."

"I see..." Riku's brows furrowed.

"I'm sorry, that's probably more information than you bargained for."

"It's actually not," the older boy assured with a chuckle. "I guess we have more in common than I thought." At Sora's inquisitive glance, he elaborated. "I don't know either of my parents, either. Jack and Sally are my guardians, but they aren't my biological parents." Of that much, he was certain. He didn't even need to ask. "We don't see eye to eye a lot, but I guess I can't complain." At least both of them were still alive.

Relatively speaking.

Riku really had to commend Sora for his strength. He didn't know how anyone could suffer so much loss in their life and still hold their head high. As much as he disobeyed and argued with Jack and Sallly, he didn't know what he would do without them. They were the ones who took him in, clothed and fed him, and kept him safe, when nobody else wanted him. They were the only family he had and they did their best to do right by him, even if he didn't always appreciate it at the time. It almost made him feel guilty for leaving without telling them.

They finished their first whole lap around the pond–without incident to boot– before Riku noticed the secretive smile on Sora's lips. It was subtle, and not directed at him in the least, but that didn't make it any less contagious.

"What?" asked Riku with a chuckle, curious to know what the boy was thinking.

"It's nothing..." Even if it was for no reason, the cute little curl of Sora's lips remained firmly in place.

"It has to be something," the silverette urged with a gentle nudge, realizing too late that it was a bad idea when they both slipped and nearly went down. The brunette laughed when Riku grabbed both his arms in a death grip to keep from falling, and he held onto his elbows to steady him. "I really am terrible at this," he muttered under his breath, earning another snicker.

"You're doing fine, just relax." When Riku's hold on him loosened, the brunette took his hands and slowly glided backwards, turning Riku green with envy at how easy he made it look.

"Tell me why you were smiling like that," Riku coaxed with a playful smile, gradually finding his rhythm again.

"Alright, fine," Sora said with an exasperated sigh. "But if you laugh, I'm letting you fall next time."

"Fair enough."

"... Do you believe in fate?" He was answered with a snort. "No?" laughed the brunette. "I didn't either, not until I saw you."

"You're quite the romantic, aren't you." Riku had to try really hard not to laugh, but he did nothing to hide his amusement, especially when Sora stuck his tongue out at him. Riku never really believed in love at first sight, or anything like that –hell, he didn't believe in a lot of things, and he was pretty sure he hadn't been looking for anyone to change his mind..

"I'm trying to be, but you're ruining it. Jerk," the younger boy pouted, contemplating on making the silverette fall just to spite him.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Riku said with a chuckle. "What makes you think fate had anything to do with it?"

"Would you be creeped out if I told you I prayed for you?" The brunette could feel the heat rising to his cheeks when Riku lofted a fine silver brow at him and said nothing. "Okay, hear me out. I go to church every Sunday, and usually stop by every other night on my way home to pray. I've done it for so long that I don't even really think about it anymore. Last night was different, though. Last night, I deviated from my usual prayers and asked God for a small favor. I asked him to send me someone to spend Christmas with this year. Lo and behold, on my way home, I see you sitting there on a bench all alone, and it was like... I don't know, like you were calling out to me. I didn't know you, but something in my gut told me if I walked away, I would regret it for the rest of my life."

Had anyone else said that to him, Riku would have laughed in their face and left them to contend with their wounded feelings without a second thought, but he could see the sincerity in Sora's eyes, hear it in his voice, and it left him speechless. Maybe the boy was overly sentimental, but if he truly believed a higher power was at work here, then Riku couldn't mock him for that, not when he'd felt the same peculiar draw towards the brunette.

"So... what? You think God sent me to you or something?"

"Well, it's either that, or luck," replied Sora with a snort, "And since luck has a lengthy track record of crapping on me, my bets are on the man upstairs."

"You are an unusual one," the silverette laughed.

"I'm going to assume you're not a very religious person, either."

"Not in the least, but I won't hold your beliefs against you," The silverette teased.

"Alright, Mr. Grinch, what _do_ you believe in?" Sora rounded, scrutinizing the silver haired male with narrowed eyes. When the taller boy ceased his chuckling and pursed his lips in thought, Sora couldn't fight his grin.

"I dunno," said Riku after a moment, taking note that they'd made another lap, with Sora moving entirely in reverse. "I mean, I can understand why people believe in stuff like God and the Devil, Heaven and Hell, and angels and demons." Just because he didn't follow any particular religion, didn't mean he didn't know about it. He might have been detached from the world around him, but he didn't live under a rock. "But it all sounds so absolute to me. Maybe God does exists, but I have a hard time accepting that there's all there is to it. Like, in all the vast universe is that all there really is? Don't you ever wonder if there's something... more out there?"

"What? Like aliens?" Sora cackled.

Riku didn't get the chance to reprimand the boy for it, because Sora's skate caught on a nick in the ice and they both went down with an undignified yelp. The brunette's back collided with the hard, slippery surface, but somehow, he managed to continue laughing. Riku was composed enough to partially catch himself before he crushed his companion, landing on his hands and knees above him, at least for a split second before one of his hands slipped out from under him and he planted face first into Sora's chest. After that, it was a futile battle of Riku versus the ice, and he was sorely losing. Sora didn't even make an attempt, too busy howling with laughter to assist the struggling silverette. His frustration mounting, Riku growled and grabbed a fistful of Sora's pillowy coat at the shoulders and gripped tight, pushing himself up to glower balefully down at the brunette. Needless to say, it did not have the desired effect.

"You really are terrible at this," the brunette giggled.

"I think we established that already, but thanks for rubbing it in." It was so damn hard to keep the frown on his face when Sora was smiling up at him, biting his lip to stifle another fit of giggles, and looking so damn... kissable. Before Riku even realized it, his expression softened and he chuckled. "This is you're fault, you know."

Sora's perfectly straight teeth released their hold on his bottom lip and he grinned wider. Even if Riku was not aware of the position they were in, the brunette was. The taller boy was poised above him on his hands and knees, his grip unintentionally pinning him to the ice as he straddled one of his legs. It was easily the most provocative situation he'd ever been in, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying it. It put him to mind of so many horribly cliché chick flicks he was coerced into watching with Kairi. There was always that one scene where the couple-to-be found themselves face to face, forced to confront their feelings head on, and the world around them came to a screeching half as he slowly leaned in and kissed the girl for the first time. Kairi always gushed over scenes like that, but the brunette had been convinced that things just didn't happen that way in real life. Now, he wasn't so sure. It had been less than a minute, but Riku had yet to move. A few more seconds and the kiss might have happened if they were the stars in their own movie. Premature as it would have been, Sora wouldn't have complained, but much to his dismay, a pair of young girls skated past, giggling at them behind their mittened hands and the spell was broken. Both boys flushed and broke apart, Riku sitting back on his heels as Sora pushed himself up.

The wind was picking up, wrecking havoc on Riku's pale hair and biting at Sora's rosy cheeks. A particularly harsh gust blasted them with loose snow from the bank and they both cringed as the frozen mist stung their exposed faces. Sora was the first to make it to his feet, and he helped Riku to stand, but the temperature was steadily dropping and both decided it was probably for the best that they head back before the weather got worse. Judging by the clouds rolling in, another heavy snow was on its way.

Hand in hand, Sora lead the way back to the picnic table where they'd left their shoes in comfortable silence. Once back on solid ground, the silverette sank down onto the bench and began to unlace his skates. He already had one foot back in his shoe before he noticed that Sora was still looking for his.

"Sora?"

"My boots are gone!" the brunette exclaimed with dismay, circling the table and coming back empty handed. Riku frowned and slipped on his other shoe, then stood to aid Sora in his search. Sure enough the brunette's boots were nowhere to be found. "I can't believe this. Someone stole my boots!" Huffing, the shorter boy plopped down onto the bench and kicked at the snow. "Now what am I going to do..." Dejected, the brunette dropped his chin onto his fists and sighed. The night had been going so well, too.

Standing in front of Sora, Riku took another look around, hoping that someone had simply moved them. With no boots in sight, the silverette turned his attention to a more pressing matter. How was he going to get the sulking boy home without any shoes? He couldn't walk, he'd get frostbite before they even got out of the park, and he couldn't very well give him _his_ shoes. When an idea popped into his head, Riku smirked and pulled the boy to his feet, moving him over to sit on the table instead.

"W-what are you doing?" asked Sora when Riku started to unlace his skates and pulled them off.

"You'll see," he replied as he stood. "Keep your feet out of the snow. I'll be right back." Sora watched Riku retrieve his own skates and jog over to the rental trailer to return them, his head cocked in curiosity as the silverette ran back to him.

"I _really_ hope you don't expect me to walk back in my socks, Riku."

"Of course not," the taller boy said with a grin, then turned around to give the brunette his back. Sora blinked , realization sinking in that Riku planned to _carry_ him. "Come on, hop up."

"Oh my God," Sora muttered with a disbelieving laugh. "I haven't had a piggy back ride since I was like... five." Nevertheless, when Riku leaned back, he snaked his arms around his neck and held on as he was lifted from the table. A pair of strong arms hooked under his thighs, hoisting him higher, and Sora squeaked in surprise at how easily Riku lifted him. Just to be safe, though, he curled his limbs a little bit tighter around the silverette when he began to walk.

For a while, they were quiet, each lost deep in their own thoughts. Riku marveled at how light Sora was, how small and frail felt against his back as he carried him down the same path they'd come in on. Sora was content to rest his head on his arm, close his eyes, and breath in Riku's intoxicating scent. The silverette smelled clean and fresh, with undertones of something dark and rich, like chocolate. It was an interesting combination, but one he liked very much. He could feel the wind nipping at his toes through his socks, making them curl, but he was soon distracted by something akin to cool silk brushing against his cheek and nose. Opening his eyes, cerulean orbs regarded the moonlight kissed wisps of silver hair the breeze had trussed, and the irresistible temptation to touch it surfaced, to sink his fingers into that thick mane and revel in it's smooth texture. The brunette wasn't entirely sure Riku would be okay with that, so he compromised and settled for gathering the long strands in his small hand, moving them to the other side of the older boy's neck. Just as he thought, Riku's hair was softer than a kitten's fur, and the most luxurious thing he'd ever touched.

Riku's pace didn't falter, but the simple, innocent contact had goosebumps rising on the back of his neck and he resisted the urge to shiver. However, when the brunette rested his head back on his arm and breathed a soft sigh, Riku nearly lost his composure, his breath hitching inaudibly at the warmth that caressed the exposed side of his neck. Whether Sora did it on purpose, or was completely unaware made no difference to the silverette.

"I'm sorry someone stole your boots," he said, attempting to distract himself. With his eyes fixed firmly ahead, he could make out the light from the street lamps just up ahead and he quickened his pace.

"It's okay." If Sora had known ahead of time that this would happen, he would have _given_ them away. "I'll just wear my sneakers until I can get another pair. I can only hope that whoever took them needed them more than I did, and if not, I hope their toes fall off," he said, making Riku laugh.

"So where am I taking you?" Riku asked as they crossed the street, glancing up at the sky as the first snowflakes began to fall.

"Head down past Merlin's and take a left at the end of the street," murmured Sora. Despite the subtle jostle of the others footsteps, he was quite relaxed, warm even, except for his feet. With his eyes closed, he could easily see himself falling asleep before they even reached his apartment.

When Riku reached the end of the block, he crossed the street again and asked the brunette where to go from there. Sora opened his eyes to gather his bearings and directed the taller male to the door of his building just a little ways down. The door was unlocked, so instead of returning the brunette to his feet at the threshold, he carried him inside, taking a brief glance around at the drab interior of chipping yellow paint, concrete floors and a set of stairs leading up to the next level. Sora didn't complain when Riku went the extra mile and ascended the steps one at a time, carrying him all the way to the first landing. To their left, more stairs continued upwards, but Sora uncoiled an arm from around Riku's neck and pointed down the hall that would lead him to his humble abode.

"This is my stop," he said just as they reached the third door and Riku stopped. Reluctantly, the smaller boy uncurled his arms and slid down to find his feet, then fished his keys out of his pocket. In no hurry to unlock his door, he looked up into the silverette's sea green eyes and smiled. It was nearing midnight, but not all that late considering how late they were out the night before, and neither of them was especially pleased that their date had been cut short by the weather and a missing pair of shoes. "Thank you for carrying me all the way back here," he murmured with a quiet laugh and dropped his gaze to his socks.

"No need to thank me," the silverette replied. "I assure you, it was my pleasure." He could sense the sudden wave of nervousness in the brunette, or maybe it was his own, and chuckled, wracking his brain for something –anything – he could do to stall for just a little more time. He only just met the boy standing in front of him, and already he was addicted to that contagious smile, his sweet laugh, and his overall bubbly personality. What he couldn't understand was why he was hesitating. Christmas was right around the corner, and Jack would be too preoccupied to come looking for him personally until after the holiday passed, which... didn't leave him a whole lot of time to enjoy this opportunity. Patience was _not_ a virtue in this particular situation.

"Are you going to be okay getting back?" Sora's brows furrowed in concern as he lifted his head and jingled the keys in his left hand. "You're more than welcome to stay until the weather clears up."

 _Clearly_ , Riku wasn't the only one who wanted him to stay, but the silverette knew it would be a bad idea. Not only could the incoming storm carry over well into the morning hours, but there was no way he could trust himself with Sora right now. Not alone for any considerable length of time. As much as he wanted to say yes, he would love to stay, it was in Sora's –and his – best interest, that he decline. Still, saying no to this boy when he was staring up at him with those big, hopeful blue eyes was going to be difficult.

"I really wish I could," he replied remorsefully, rubbing at the back of his neck, "but I'm going to be a perfect gentleman tonight and let you go inside and get some sleep. I'll be okay getting home. If it gets too bad, I'll just call a cab."

"Alright... If you're sure." Sora tried valiantly to keep the pout from forming on his lips by smiling, but it didn't quite reach his eyes this time, and it was even harder to keep the disappointment out of his voice. He knew it was a shot in the dark, but he had agreed to take Roxas' advice and take the risk, right? Now he could blame the blonde for getting his hopes up.

"I'm sure," came the response from the silverette, feeling all the more guilty for the sadness he could see in the others eyes as he turned to unlock his front door. He watched in silence as Sora pushed the key into the lock and twisted it, heard the heavy click of the deadbolt turning, and he didn't want this night to end this way. He wanted to see that smile light up Sora's face one more time before they parted ways, and he wanted it to linger for hours after he'd closed and locked the door behind him. "...Sora?"

"Hm?" The brunette looked up from what he was doing and turned slightly to peer at the silverette over his shoulder when he heard his name, and his eyes widened imperceptibly as Riku reached out to take his wrist, pulling him around to face him fully. Time seemed to stand still for the boy with ocean blue eyes as Riku took a slow step forward and palmed Sora's cool cheek, coaxing him to tip his head back just a little further, and he did. He stared into those unusual, memorizing green eyes, losing himself in their depths of crystal aquamarine and flecks of sky blue. The surreality of that moment hit the brunette hard, taking his breath away as, just as slowly, Riku leaned in.

Sora could hear his heartbeat thundering in his ears and those butterflies were back with a vengeance, threatening to choke him, or make him scream. The young brunette thought his knees just might give out when he felt the warm tickle of the Riku's breath against his lips, so temptingly close, and his very soul wept when the silverette paused only centimeters away. Just when the brunette was about to open eyes he hadn't even realized he'd closed, he felt it. A pair of soft lips caressed his own, the pressure so gentle he wasn't entirely sure he hadn't imagined it, and then it was gone. Even so, that brief moment of contact was electric, setting fire to Sora's blood and making his head spin. He didn't want it to end, and when the silverette began to withdraw, he panicked and gripped his elbow.

Riku halted his retreat when the smaller boy grabbed him, his lips twitching ever so slightly with a smirk, and his hold on Sora's wrist tightened unconsciously. The kiss was intended to be simple and innocent, just a small peck to sate his curiosity, but Sora hadn't stopped him, and even seemed unsatisfied with leaving it at that, drawing him back in with more than just a touch. He beckoned him with every fiber of his being, and it was an offer the silverette couldn't refuse.

Closing the distance between them again, he pressed his lips against the shorter boy's more firmly. His thumb tentatively stroked Sora's smooth cheek and he felt desire come alive within him when Sora's breath audibly hitched and his smaller frame all but melted against his. Sora's lips were so soft, so inviting, it was all he could do not to sigh in utter bliss, and he couldn't stop himself from flicking his tongue over the younger boy's supple lower lip. He was rewarded with a quiet gasp, the brunette's lips parting ever so slightly in surprise, and he jumped at the opportunity to deepen their contact.

Sora's was completely enthralled from the moment Riku had leaned in, so when the silver haired male's hand traveled to the back of his neck and his tongue delved into his mouth to explore, the brunette welcomed it wholeheartedly. Each time Riku's tongue brushed against his, coaxing it into responding in kind, another spike of pure euphoria shot through him until his knees were so weak, he had to lean back against his door to keep himself from crumbling to the floor and taking the silverette with him. Instead of pulling back, Riku followed doggedly, kissing the boy harder, yet managing to keep it slow and sensual, but eventually, he had to break away. Slightly out of breath, Riku chuckled and rested his forehead against the brunette's when he whimpered in disappointment, suddenly aware of the small hand that was resting on his hip, gripping tightly at his coat. Neither of them moved for a small eternity, and when the smaller of the two shifted, it was only to tip his head the fraction of an inch required to steal one last brief kiss from the older boy.

"...Are you _sure_ you don't want to stay?"

* * *

So this is the official end of chapter 3, and I hope it met your expectations. I've hinted on several occasions about what's going on with Riku, and with Sora, but I do hope to see more ideas flowing into my inbox. I've also lightly touched on why their relationship is progressing slightly faster than one would expect of two strangers, why suddenly Sora and Riku are so into each other after having only just met, but this is where your input will come into play. Do you feel that their relationship is progressing TOO fast, or would you like for me to continue at the pace I've set? This chapter left off at a kiss, but it could be the beginning of something more in the next chapter. Is it too soon for them to be intimate, or are you ready for a little bit of citrus?

Once again, thank you all for reading and for your wonderful reviews. The next chapter won't be posted until there are at least 20, but I don't see any problem with that happening, so hurry up and add your opinion if you want it to count~!


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